Party General Secretary Tô Lâm waves farewell as he boards his plane to depart Joint Base Andrews. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Party General Secretary Tô Lâm left Joint Base Andrews on February 20 afternoon (local time), concluding his three-day trip for the inaugural meeting of the Gaza Board of Peace in Washington D.C. at the invitation of President Donald Trump, who is also the Board’s Founding Chairman.

The inaugural meeting was attended by heads of state and leaders from more than 50 countries, including founding members and observers of the Gaza Board of Peace.

Speaking at the event, US President Donald Trump emphasised that the Gaza Board of Peace is a mechanism for coordination with the United Nations to coordinate humanitarian aid, reconstruction, and stabilisation of the region.

President Trump highly appreciated General Secretary Lâm's participation in the meeting, affirming his deep respect for Việt Nam, an admirable country with an increasingly significant role and influence.

Việt Nam participates in the Gaza Board of Peace to contribute to ending the conflict in Gaza, protecting civilians, ensuring safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, rebuilding essential infrastructure, and promoting a credible political process toward lasting and sustainable peace in the Middle East.

Việt Nam's consistent stance is that all disputes and conflicts must be resolved peacefully, based on international law, the United Nations Charter, and respect for the fundamental rights and legitimate interests of all parties involved. As a country that has experienced numerous wars and received valuable assistance from the international community, with a sense of responsibility and goodwill, Việt Nam is ready to cooperate closely with the members of the Board of Peace and participate, to the best of its ability, in joint efforts to provide urgent humanitarian assistance, rebuild essential infrastructure, and build trust among the parties.

Việt Nam supports concrete solutions to end the conflict, restore peace, security and reconstruction, and ensure the livelihoods of the people in the Gaza Strip, and to implement a comprehensive political process in accordance with international law and the United Nations Charter. At the same time, to ensure sustainable peace and uphold the rights of the people of the Gaza Strip, Việt Nam hopes that the implemented measures will ensure the participation of all relevant parties, especially the Palestinian Authority.

During his attendance at the meeting, the Party chief held bilateral meetings with the Presidents of Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan, as well as the Prime Ministers of Cambodia, Armenia, Hungary, and Pakistan, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.

The partners agreed to strengthen substantive and effective bilateral relations with Việt Nam, prioritising areas where each side has advantages and needs, such as economics, trade, science and technology, digital transformation, green transition, transportation, and cooperation in addressing issues. Emphasising the need for enhanced coordination in important multilateral mechanisms and forums, the leaders shared views and positions on regional and international issues of common concern; and agreed to coordinate in implementing the Gaza Peace Plan to promote sustainable peace in the Middle East, in accordance with international law and the UN Charter.

General Secretary Lâm met with President Trump, who expressed his affection for the Vietnamese people and reaffirmed the US’s commitment to supporting a 'strong, independent, self-reliant, and prosperous' Việt Nam. He welcomed and thanked Việt Nam for announcing its participation in the Gaza Board of Peace, noting that the General Secretary’s direct attendance at the inaugural meeting reflects Việt Nam’s growing role and standing in the international arena, as well as its strong commitment to global peace, stability, and cooperation.

The President also highly valued Việt Nam’s efforts to balance bilateral trade and welcomed the valuable contracts signed during the trip. He responded positively to Việt Nam’s proposals for cooperation in economic and scientific–technological fields. He said that he will instruct relevant agencies to soon remove Việt Nam from the strategic export control list (D1–D3).

The Party chief received the US Trade Representative, Ambassador Jamieson Greer, who emphasised that Việt Nam is one of the US’s important trading partners and that strengthening bilateral economic and trade cooperation will contribute positively to the overall development of the relationship between the two countries.

General Secretary Lâm also received Kurt M. Campbell, former US Deputy Secretary of State, during which the Vietnamese leader shared Việt Nam’s major orientations in its new development phase, highlighting the vision and strategic goals set forth at the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Việt Nam.

He underscored priorities, including institutional reform, growth acceleration, science and technology development, innovation, digital economy and green economy advancement, and deeper, more substantive and effective international integration.

During phone talks with US senators, General Secretary Lâm affirmed Việt Nam’s commitment to continued full and responsible cooperation with the US in accounting for American servicemen missing in action (MIA). Expressing their appreciation and gratitude to Việt Nam for its active and responsible cooperation in the search for missing US servicemen, the Senators affirmed that the US Congress and Government will continue to work closely with Việt Nam in addressing the consequences of the war.

The Party chief witnessed the signing and exchange of contracts and cooperation agreements in key sectors such as science and technology, digital transformation, aviation, and health care. The total value of the signed and exchanged documents reached US$37.2 billion, reflecting strong and determined commitments from partners as bilateral relations enter a new stage of development.

Meeting with representatives of the Vietnamese community and agencies in the US, General Secretary Lâm affirmed that the Party and State always welcome and create favourable conditions for overseas Vietnamese experts, intellectuals, scientists, and entrepreneurs to contribute more to the country's development, especially in key areas during the new development phase. The Party and State will improve policies for overseas Vietnamese, while strengthening coordination with local authorities to protect their legitimate rights and interests, helping them live, work, and develop peacefully in their host countries.

On this occasion, the Vietnamese delegation’s members had meetings with US partners to enhance cooperation between the two countries in science – technology, digital transformation, innovation, human resources training, security and defence.

The top Vietnamese leader’s participation in the inaugural meeting of the Gaza Board of Peace demonstrates Việt Nam’s support for and readiness to engage in the international community’s common efforts for peace and development. This is also a move to implement the agreement on cooperation in international affairs within the framework of the Việt Nam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. — VNA/VNS